• The Journal of Korean Society of Virology
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.129-136
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• 1999

Transient transfection assay has been done to evaluate whether the c-jun activation would be prerequisite to the induction of permissiveness against human cytomegalovirus using in vitro cell model in which U937 has been induced to express CD11b and CD14 to become potential monocyte/macrophage cells by TPA treatment. U937 cells were treated with $10\;{\mu}M$, $50\;{\mu}M$ or $100\;{\mu}M$ of TPA. The cell morphology change was observed and the expression of the CD11b and CD14 was confirmed by FACS. Differentiated cells were transfected with pJLuc reporter vector which contained the wild type murine c-jun promoter spanning the SP1, CTF, ATF/CREB and MEF-2 binding sites upstream of the firefly luciferase gene. After 48 hrs of transfection, the cells were infected with HCMV Towne strain and the luciferase activity was assessed at 1 hand 4 h pi. The transfection assay showed no activation of the c-jun promoter at 1 h pi, instead, it showed 2 times increase of the its activity at 4 h pi. There was no difference of the c-jun promoter activation between TPA treated and untreated U937 cells, implying that c-jun activation might not be prerequisite for allowing cells to be premissive to HCMV, although HCMV infection itself could activate c-jun promoter.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.70-78
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• 2009

Coptis japonica (C. japonica) is a perennial medicinal plant that has anti-inflammatory activity. C. japonica contains numerous biologically active alkaloids including berberine, palmatine, epi-berberine, and coptisine. The most well-known anti-inflammatory principal in C. japonica is berberine. For example, berberine has been implicated in the inhibition of iNOS induction by cytokines in microglial cells. However, the efficacies of other alkaloids components on microglial activation were not investigated yet. In this study, we investigated the effects of three alkaloids (palmatine, epi-berberine and coptisine) from C. japonica on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced microglial activation. BV2 microglial cells were immunostimulated with LPS and then the production of several inflammatory mediators such as nitric oxide (NO), reactive oxygen species (ROS) and matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) were examined as well as the phosphorylation status of Erk1/2 mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK). Palmatine and to a lesser extent epi-berberine and coptisine, significantly reduced the release of NO, which was mediated by the inhibition of LPS-stimulated mRNA and protein induction of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) from BV2 microglia. In addition to NO, palmatine inhibited MMP-9 enzymatic activity and mRNA induction by LPS. Palmatine also inhibited the increase in the LPS-induced MMP-9 promoter activity determined by MMP-9 promoter luciferase reporter assay. LPS stimulation increased Erk1/2 phosphorylation in BV2 cells and these alkaloids inhibited the LPS-induced phosphorylation of Erk1/2. The anti-inflammatory effect of palmatine in LPS-stimulated microglia may suggest the potential use of the alkaloids in the modulation of neuroinflammatory responses, which might be important in the pathophysiological events of several neurological diseases including Alzheimer's disease (AD), multiple sclerosis (MS), Parkinson's disease (PD) and stroke.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.85-92
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• 2002

This study has been focused on improving transformation efficiency of rice using Agrobacterium tumefaciens. We have demonstrated the effect of this system when the GPAT gene related to the cold-resistance was transferred by Agrobacterium tumefaciens in rice. Transformation conditions were modified using intron $\beta$-glucuronidase (GUS) expression as a reporter gene in the rice. In this study, mature seed-derived calli of rice (Oruza sativa L. cv. Dongjin) were pre-cultured for 3 days and then infected with Agrobacterium. When this infected calli were cultured in the dark for 10 days on co-cu]lure medium containing 50 mg/L of CaCl$_2$, 30 mg/L of acetosyringone, 2 mg/L of 2,4-D, 120 mg/L of betaine, high GUS expression was observed. In the present transformation system, the efficiency of transformation of GPAT gene was about 54%. Stable integration of GPAT gene into chromosomal DNA was proven by southern blot analysis of genomic DNA isolated from T$_{0}$ progenies. The progenies (T1 generation) derived from primary transformant of 5 lines were segregated with a 3 (resistant) : 1 (sensitive ratio) in medium containing hygromycin. This high frequency transformation system can be used as a useful tool in transformation of another monocotyledon.n.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.87-93
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• 2011

S-Adenosylmethionine decarboxylase (SAMDC; EC 4.1.4.50), a key enzyme for polyamines biosynthesis, was tightly regulated for homeostatic levels. Carnation SAMDC gene (CSDC9) has an small upstream open reading frame (uORF) of 54 amino acids in 5'-leader sequence. To explore the functional mechanism of uORFs in controlling translation, we used a GUS reporter gene driven with the 35S promoter and uORF region of SAMDC gene for making transgenic tobacco plants. In our experiment, there were a translational inhibition of its downstream GUS ORF by SAMDC uORF sequence or SAMDC uORF protein. Expecially, translational inhibition was most effective in point-mutated construct, in which the start codon was changed. Therefore, this results suggested the ribosomal stalling might be involved in this translational inhibitory process. The frame shift in amino acid sequence of SAMDC uORF with start codon and stop codon resulted in a moderate increasing in GUS activity, suggesting the native amino acid sequence was important for a function as a translational inhibitor. Also, we showed that the production of GUS protein was significantly inhibited in the presence of the small uORF using histochemical analysis of GUS expression in seedlings and tobacco flowers. Importantly, the small uORF sequence induced a real peptide of 5.7 kDa, which was provided the presence of SAMDC uORF peptide band using an in vitro transcription/translation system. The peptide product of uORF might interact with other components of translational machinery as well as polyamines, which was resulted from that polyamine treatment was inhibited GUS protein band in SDS-PAGE experiment.

• Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging
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• v.41 no.5
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• pp.343-349
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• 2007

Radioiodide transport has been extensively and successfully used in the evaluation and management of thyroid disease. The molecular characterization of the sodium/iodide symporter (NIS) and cloning of the NIS gene has led to the recent expansion of the use of radioiodide to cancers of the breast and other nonthyroidal tissues exogenously transduced with the NIS gene. More recently, discoveries regarding the functional analysis and regulatory processes of the NIS molecule are opening up exciting opportunities for new research and applications for NIS and radio iodide. The success of NIS based cancer therapy is dependent on achievement of maximal radioiodide transport sufficient to allow delivery of effective radiation doses. This in turn relies on high transcription rates of the NIS gene. However, newer discoveries indicate that nontranscriptional processes that regulate NIS trafficking to cell membrane are also critical determinants of radioiodide uptake. In this review, molecular mechanisms that underlie regulation of NIS transcription and stimuli that augment membrane trafficking and functional activation of NIS molecules will be discussed. A better understanding of how the expression and cell surface targeting of NIS proteins is controlled will hopefully aid in optimizing NIS gene based cancer treatment as well as NIS based reporter-gene imaging strategies.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2009

In this paper, to elucidate the further mechanisms of N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG)-induced growth arrest, we investigated the effect of MNNG on cell cycle and proliferation in U937 cells, a p53-null human myeloid leukemia cell line. It was found that MNNG causes an arrest at the G2/M phase of the cell cycle and induces apoptosis, which is closely correlated to inhibition of cyclin B1 and cyelin-dependent kinase (Cdk) 2-associated kinase activities. MNNG treatment in. creased protein and mRNA levels of the Cdk inhibitor p21(WAF1/CIP1), and activated the reporter construct of a p21 promoter. By using p21 promoter deletion constructs, the MNNG-responsive element was mapped to a region between 113 and 61 relative to the transcription start site. These data indicate that in U937 cells MNNG can circumvent the loss of wild-type p53 function and induce critical downstream regulatory events leading to transcriptional activation of p21. Present results indicate that the p53-independent up-regulation of p21 by MNNG is likely responsible for the inhibition of cyclin/Cdk complex kinase activity rather than the down-regulation of cyclins and Cdks expression. These novel phenomena have not been previously described and provide important new insights into the possible biological effects of MNNG.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.809-817
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• 2009

The phenotypes associated with a gene function are often the best clue to its role in the plant. Transgenic plants ectopically expressing or suppressing a gene can provide useful information related to the gene function. In this study, we constructed three vectors - pFGL571, pFGL846 and pFGL847 - for the Agrobacterium-mediated ectopic expression of plant genes using pPZP211 and modified CaMV 35S, UBQ3 or UBQ10 promoters. The three vectors have several merits such as small size, high copy in bacteria, enough restriction enzyme sites in multi cloning sites and nucleotide sequence information. Analysis of transgenic plants containing GUS or sGFP reporter genes under the control of modified CaMV 35S, UBQ3 or UBQI0 promoter revealed that all of the three promoters showed high activities during most developmental stages after germination and in floral organs. Furthermore, we generated a RNAi module vector, pFGL727, to suppress plant gene expressions and confirmed that pFGL727 is useful for the suppression of a gene expression using rice transgenic plants. Taken together, our new vectors would be very useful for the ectopic expression or the suppression of plant genes.

• Journal of the Society of Disaster Information
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.266-272
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• 2011

This study is focused on guard major collegians who are composed of factor in medical emergency system. In the case of cardiac failure, it is to make its basic data develop its education program of CPR which can increase the patient's survival rate before his hospitalization. The subject of study is composed of 120 persons who are 94 boy-collegians(78.3%) and 26 girl-collegians(21.7%) in sex and 66 first-grade collegians(55.0%) and 54 second-grade collegians(45.0%) in a school year. There is significant difference in the practices of artificial respiration and the thorax pressure after the education of basic CPR in sex(p<0.01). The practices of artificial respiration in boy-collegians($93.72{\pm}4.21$) is higher than in girl-collegians($82.31{\pm}6.36$) and the practices of thorax pressure in boy-collegians($92.45{\pm}4.44$) is higher than in girl-collegians($88.08{\pm}6.49$). The satisfaction degree of boy-collegians($4.33{\pm}0.59$) is higher than that of girl-collegians($3.73{\pm}0.67$) after theory & practice education of basic CPR(p<0.01). It is necessary to develop the education program and educate its knowledge & technology in proportion to collegians characteristics of sex and school year. Also, education authorities should develop a subject of the accident provided the practical education of CPR for guard major collegians.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.42-49
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• 2016

The retinoic acid (RA) plays an important role in the growth and development of many cells, and bioactive RA concentration is regulated by several enzymes, including CYP26A1. The expression of the CYP26A1 gene is regulated by RA, and the CYP26A1 gene is one of the candidates for RA-responsive genes. Although CYP26A1 genes are cloned from several animals, cloning of the CYP26A1 gene from cows has not been reported yet. The promoter region of CYP26A1 from cows was cloned by PCR and analyzed by sequence alignment with human and mouse CYP26A1. The RA-responsive element (RARE), DR-5 (ttggg), was located in this region and was perfectly conserved. The promoter region of bovine CYP26A1, which contains DR-5, was ligated to the luciferase reporter gene on transient transfection assays. The expression of CYP26A1-Luc promoter was activated by ATRA treatment in lung-derived mtCC cells. Co-transfection with RAR-α or -β with ATRA significantly activates the expression of CYP26A1-Luc promoter; however, it was less effective with either RAR-γ or RXR-γ. In addition, the endogenous gene expressions measured by Q-RT-PCR in mtCC cells were not significantly affected by ATRA treatment for 2 days; however, the expression of the endogenous CYP26A1 gene was diminished sharply at day 3 with ATRA treatment. In conclusion, the promoter region of bovine CYP26A1 contains conserved DR-5 RARE, which functions as a binding site for RAR-α or -β, and it is involved in the regulation of CYP26A1 gene expression and the control of RA signaling in mtCC cells.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.21 no.7
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• pp.932-938
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• 2011

Ginsenoside Rg1 is a pharmacologically active component isolated from ginseng. The goal of this study was to clarify the beneficial effects of Rg1 on glucose and lipid metabolism in diabetic animals (db/db mice). To accomplish this, ten week old db/db mice were administered 10 mg/kg of Rg1 for 15 days. Rg1 did not influence the weight of db/db mice when compared with vehicle-treated db/db mice. The administration of Rg1 lowered fasting plasma glucose, and improved glucose tolerance. Importantly, Rg1 markedly reduced both plasma triglyceride and free fatty acids, and increased high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) concentrations in db/db mice. Rg1 activated promoter activity of chimeric GAL4-PPAR${\alpha}$ reporter and increased expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPAR${\alpha}$) target genes such as carnitine palmitoyltransferase-1 (CPT-1) and acyl-CoA oxidase (ACO), which are involved in fatty acid oxidation. These findings indicated that improvement of lipid profiles by Rg1 may be associated with increased fatty acid oxidation via PPAR${\alpha}$ activation. Taken together, these results suggest that Rg1 could have beneficial effects for controlling hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia associated with type 2 diabetes.